Bruce Frederick Skinner (1911-1990) was an American psychologist and educator, as well as one of the most influential inventors and founders of modern theories of cognition. He obtained his doctoral degree at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in 1935. Then he joined the faculty of psychology at Canton University in 1936, where he taught until the end of his life. Skinner’s scientific activity included studies on training, the development of psychological processes and behavior. He developed a theory known as Skinner’s learning theory. At its core lies the idea that any learning takes place through the accumulation of positive and negative suppression processes. He also developed a theory of knowledge that suggests that people learn by observing and performing different actions.
B.F. Skinner was also an author and a renowned strategist in the field of classroom management. He opened up to the world his own theory of classroom management, based on the principles of behavioral science. This theory involves the combination of the right approaches and tools of classroom management in order to achieve positive results in the educational process. The basis of Skinner’s style of classroom management lies in two main approaches. The first is a coercive approach involving the use of penalties and punishments to eliminate undesirable behavior. The second is a positive approach involving the use of rewards to maintain and encourage positive behavior (Schlinger, 2021). Skinner’s approach to classroom management is based on the assumption that student behavior is the result of external influence.
According to Skinner’s theory, the teacher needs to use various management techniques to eliminate problematic behavior of students and encourage positive behavior. This may include the use of various teaching methods such as various activities, discussions, demonstrations, etc., built on the principles of psychology and pedagogy (Schlinger, 2021). In addition, Skinner promotes the use of principles of behavioral sanctioning, such as rewards for positive behavior, as well as the use of behavioral rules and structures to maintain order and stability in the classroom.
Skinner’s philosophy was based on the idea that people do not just repeat their actions, but strive for independent knowledge and development. He gave special importance to the study of the conditions that determine people’s behavior. Skinner was recognized as one of the founders of psychology of mechanical processes and became a prototype of the postmodern approach to psychology. He proposed new techniques for studying mental processes, including neuropsychology, pedagogy and psychoanalysis. He was also the first one to propose the idea of reflective freedom. In general, the classroom management theory proposed by B.F. Skinner offers an approach based on the use of proper teaching methods, behavioral rules and behavioral sanctions in the educational process (Schlinger, 2021). These methods can help the teacher achieve better results in classroom management and teaching.
Overall, Skinner’s approach to classroom management is very effective. He calls for principles of democracy and autonomy as well as fostering students by instilling in them a sense of responsibility and respect. Teachers can use Skinner’s approach to create a safe and engaging learning environment for students. To achieve maximum effectiveness when implementing this approach, the teacher must ensure proper application of leader principles, foster student autonomy, and cultivate self-sacrifice and responsibility in students. Only consistent adherence to these principles will yield the best results when applying Skinner’s approach to classroom management.
References
Schlinger, H. D. (2021). The impact of BF Skinner’s science of operant learning on early childhood research, theory, treatment, and care. Early Child Development and Care, 191(7-8), 1089-1106.